Shoes For The Soul

Once upon a time, there was a king. Some people called him mad, but only in whispers. One day, the king's little prince was playing in the open. A thorn pricked his foot, and he began screaming. The king felt sorely distressed. He ordered that the entire garden where the boy played be cleaned up and carpeted with leather so the prince could play carefree. When he instructed his wise minister to implement the plan, he bowed and humbly submitted that the boy could have a chance to step beyond the playfield and get pricked by thorns and gravel. At this, the king ordered that the entire kingdom be carpeted with leather sheets. The royal contractor was excited by this plan and praised the king with flattering words.

The minister instructed the royal treasurer to prepare a cost estimate. The treasurer's team quickly got down to work. The following day, the minister presented the project cost estimate to the king. The cost to cover the entire kingdom with leather sheets was, of course, astronomical. It exceeded the king's treasury by a million times. The king was very disappointed. As a last resort, he consulted his guru for advice. The guru said that the plan was well-intentioned but impractical, not to mention financially forbidding. The king pressed for a solution.

The guru said there was an alternate plan that would cost almost nothing in terms of money and time, and this Plan B, he asserted, would be far more effective.

The king was enthused. He requested the guru to spell out the details. 'Hardly any details, your highness,' said the guru. Instead of carpeting the entire kingdom, let the royal cobbler clad the boy's tender foot-soles with soft-leather footwear. If his feet are clad, the boy may roam anywhere in the kingdom without any fear of hurt from thorns and prickly gravel.

The king, the minister and everyone, except the royal contractor, was happy. The king honoured his guru for this simple and cost-effective plan.

The guru smiled. He said, "Your highness, the plan is inexpensive, but that's a small positive. The true worth of this plan lies in the fact that it applies not only to one's feet but also to one's mind and soul. With all due regard to your majesty's wealth, I wish to submit that you cannot ever carpet the entire earth. Not all the kings in the world in collaboration with each other can ever carpet the entire earth. But everyone can clad one's own feet with shoes. Clad thus, go where one may, one's feet will feel secure. It is as though the entire earth is carpeted."

This same plan applies to one's soul. The king was curious to know how. The guru explained that just as thorns and sharp gravel hurt the feet, the thorn of dearth born of discontent pricks every soul. No king feels he possesses enough. Every king eyes his superior rival and feels short. This breeds discontent. The thorn that pricks the foot causes physical pain that torments for a while. The thorn that pricks the soul causes mental agony that torments lifelong.

The thorn that pricks the foot can be pulled out with ease. The thorn that hurts the soul is difficult to pull out, unless one cultivates the virtue of contentment . The guru quoted an ancient Indian verse to substantiate his point: "All riches are his who lives in happy contentment/Clad with shoes, one's feet feel the earth has carpet everywhere."

Authored by: Umaram and KS Ram